The invention relates to a portable communication device for multimedia applications such as smart phones, cell phones, cell phone PCs or the like.
It is known that the housing of a laptop or a notebook consists of two housing parts that are connected together by way of a hinge, such that the two housing parts can be folded closed onto one another and open away from one another, wherein one housing part contains a display or a display unit and the other housing part contains a keypad or an input unit. When the housing is folded open, the two housing parts assume a tilted position relative to one another, and, in fact, when the housing part containing the keypad is lying on a horizontal base, the display is in a position that allows an observer to recognize on the display the characters or commands entered through the keypad.
Touch screen technology has led to relatively large displays for communications equipment since all the functions of a standard PC, and not just all the functions of a mobile telephone, are to be executable. On the other hand, the mobile communications equipment worn on the body or in the clothing must be light and small. Moreover, the visual display and the control elements, such as the display and the keys, must be ergonomically designed so that the devices are comfortable to use and so that there are no limitations compared to normal use of notebooks or PC's.
If the desire is to have a cell phone with functions and applications that are common to a standard PC, one would, on one hand, need as much surface area as possible for text input using fingers, and on the other hand, one would need a large display to show the contents of applications. This has led to communications devices such as multimedia cell phones comprising at least two parts, namely a cell phone with touch screen technology and a mini PC with a full QWERTZ-PC keypad (EP 1 887 761 A2, EP 1 862880 A1, EP 1 161 062 A1, DE 196 03 483 C2, EP 932 861 B1, DE 20 2008 017 733 U1). In this case, the cell phone and the mini PC share the display, such that the two parts can either be shifted linearly over one another (EP 1 887 761 A2), can be rotated out to the side about a perpendicular axis (EP 2 234 377 A2), or can be folded open and rotated in the folded-open state by 180° (EP 1 450 545 B1, WO 2006/046084 A1, JP 2001 298 513 A1, DE 103 47 999 B4).
The disadvantage of all of these known technical solutions is that the pivot axis for opening the communications device and the rotational axis for rotating the display are disposed above the lower part, resulting in a loss of valuable space for the display. Moreover, the installation of components, such as loudspeakers, microphones or the like, leads to limitation of the available area for the display, which is already small. This makes the known communications devices unwieldy and thick, and makes the operation thereof, particularly in the handling of the mini PC, fragile and laborious.
Another disadvantage is that the display is often times not optimally positioned relative to the user when it is opened up, or else the keypads used are not suitable or are poorly suitable for PC use, which quickly leads to fatigue during extended work.
Considering this prior art, the object of the invention is to provide a portable communications device, the display and keypad areas of which achieve an optimum size for a PC-type display and for use, and the thickness and weight of which are significantly reduced, while at the same time the handling of the PC part is improved, the range of multimedia applications is expanded, and the safety of the device against impact and blows is increased.
This object is achieved by a communications device of the class identified above comprising: a shell-shaped upper part with a frame, the part being provided for holding components of the communication device; the outside of the communication device being designed as a display; a lower part for holding an electronic module, said lower part being made up of at least a keypad, a frame section and a bottom shell; and a joint element for connecting the upper part and the frame section of the lower part, at a longitudinal side of said upper part and said frame section, said joint element permitting a pivoting of the upper part about a horizontal axis from the closed position of said upper part, at which the inside thereof lies on the keypad of the lower part to an open position back to a closed position, and permitting a pivoting of the upper part in the open position about a rotational axis within an angular range of at least 180°, so that in the open position the display faces the keypad or in the closed position is located outside again.
The solution according to the invention starts with the realization of pivoting the upper part along a horizontal axis disposed below the plane of the display in a position that is shifted parallel outward or inward relative to the upper part, and of making the rotational motion about a rotational axis that is tilted or bent relative to the plane of the display, the motion being made when the rotational axis comes to a position perpendicular to the horizontal axis as a result of the pivoting motion. This makes it possible to achieve an optimum display and keypad size for PC use and to achieve a lower design height of the communication device, while at the same time creating space for further multimedia components such as DVBT-TV, Internet radio, USB connections, and/or camera applications and game control buttons.
The invention is characterized in that the joint element is pivotably disposed in bearings disposed at a bottom side of the frame section, wherein the horizontal axis of the joint element lies in a position along the periphery of the lower part, the position being shifted parallel outward or inward relative to the frame of the upper part, and in that a pivot pin is provided that is disposed at the frame and protrudes in the direction of the lower part, and is tilted 90° relative to the display.
In a preferred embodiment variant of the communication device according to the invention, the frame of the upper part comprises an incline designed from inside to outside, at least near the joint element, wherein a pivot pin is placed without play and rotatably disposed in a pin seat provided in the joint element, and wherein protrusions are provided at the joint element, stops being provided for the protrusions at the recess of the frame section of the lower part, the stops limiting the pivoting motion to a first open position where the frame of the upper part can rotate about the pivot pin until another protrusion provided at the joint element engages in one of the respective depressions provided in the incline for purposes of limiting the rotational motion, wherein after the completion of the rotational motion the display comes to lie in a second open position in which the keypad and the display assume a working position relative to one another.
The pivot pin can be solid or hollow, without leaving the spirit of the invention.
In a preferred embodiment of the communications device according to the invention, the tilt angle of the pivot pin relative to the plane of the display is up to 90°, preferably 45°. This means that the upper part reaches the first open position at opening angles of preferably between 45° to 65° in interplay with the protrusions and stops present at the joint element, wherein the incline is adjusted to the tilt of the pivot pin.
After reaching the first open position, the tilted rotational axis of the pivot pin comes to a position that is perpendicular to the pivot axis, such that it is possible to rotate or turn the upper part comprising the display by 180°. The upper part and the display then assume a second open position at which the opening angle is between preferably 135° and 180°.
A particular advantage is that the frame of the upper part comprises a peripheral edge that, in turn, encloses the outside of a peripheral protrusion formed on the frame section of the lower part, such that the communication device is enclosed in a form-fitted manner for the protection thereof in the closed position. This makes the communication device less sensitive to impacts or blows since the forces are introduced to a closed frame and can thus distribute without affecting the sensitive display.
According to another preferred embodiment of the communication device according to the invention, the joint element is designed eccentrically and comprises cogged ends, wherein the joint element comprises at least a main body and a bearing part. These are fastened together by way of screw connections and form a holding space for a permanent magnet, an entry space for a flexible cable, and the pin seat with an annular chamber, which communicates with the entry space, the annular chamber allowing the routing of the flexible cable, wherein cylindrical shaft ends for rotatably holding bearings designed at the bottom side of the frame section are formed at the cogged ends of the joint element in alignment with the pivot axis.
Suitable metals for the joint element include light metal alloys such as Al—Mg alloys or even steel, so that sufficient strength is achieved in the smallest possible space.
In another preferred embodiment of the communication device according to the invention, the flexible cable electrically connects the electronic equipment in the lower part with the electronic equipment in the upper part by way of the entry space in the joint element, through the annular chamber and the pivot pin seat, in a plurality of spiral windings of the pivot pin, such that data can be exchanged between the electronic equipment.
Another advantage for a compact but thin design of the communication device according to the invention is that the protrusion for limiting the rotational motion from the first open position to the second open position is disposed at a cogged end of the joint element directly next to the holding space for the permanent magnet approximately perpendicular above the shaft end, wherein each of the protrusions for limiting the pivoting motion to the first open position is disposed parallel in alignment to the pivot axis at the side of the cogged ends of the joint element facing away from the shaft.
Moreover, the bearing part that is inserted into the main body of the joint element has a guide notch, which aligns with the protrusions and/or the pivot axis of the joint element, and which holds a multiply bent spring clamp, which can exert a spring force on the frame of the upper part as soon as the spring ends of the spring clamp are supported by tension at the contact points thereof at the brackets, whereupon the upper part and the display thereof can be brought to a third open position, the opening angle of the third open position preferably being up to 30°.
Furthermore, it is particularly advantageous that a holding space for a permanent magnet is disposed in the incline of the frame associated with the joint element, and the holding space, when in the second open position, is disposed such that the permanent magnets in the joint element and in the incline lie along a common vertical axis relative to one another, such that the magnets each fix the rotational motion with the N-S alignments thereof being lined up together.
Another preferred embodiment variant of the communication device according to the invention provides that the pivot pin is in operative connection with a compression spring fixed at one end in a blind hole of the pivot pin and at the other end at the main body in such a way that the restoring force of the spring supports or automatically executes the rotational motion to the second open position after the first open position has been reached.
In another preferred embodiment of the communication device according to the invention, the bearings for holding the shaft ends are disposed opposite one another in alignment with the horizontal axis of the joint element at the recess and are formed from a bearing half-shell formed in the bottom side of the frame section and from a bracket, each formed bearing half-shell of said bearings comprising a rear stop which prevents an axial shifting of the shaft ends. Another bearing half-shell is formed in the bracket, wherein the bracket is fastened to the bearing half-shell formed in the bottom side of the frame section by way of screws such that the bearing half-shells lie one atop the other and form the bearing. For a low friction, low wear bearing, the bearing half-shells are made of plastic.
In a preferred further embodiment of the communication device according to the invention, the frames of the upper part and the pivot pin are made of metal or plastic, and the frame section and the bottom shell of the lower part are made of plastic, wherein the pivot pin is either substance-bonded or form-fitted to the frame of the upper part. For the case in which the frame is made of plastic, the pivot pin can be made cheaply in an injection molding process.
As another advantage for a space-saving design of the communication device according to the invention, the components of the communication device, such as a loudspeaker, microphone and/or camera, are disposed in the lower part, wherein the loudspeaker is disposed in a depression formed in the bottom side of the frame section of the lower part, and the sound direction of the loudspeaker faces the display, wherein a first sound outlet opening, which is disposed at the outer back side edge of the frame section in the direction of the display, and a second sound outlet opening cut out at the upper edge of the base part are provided for the loudspeaker.
In another advantageous embodiment of the communication device according to the invention, a loudspeaker for listening and another loudspeaker for ringing are provided, wherein the loudspeaker for listening is connected to the sound outlet opening through a closed channel, and the loudspeaker for ringing is connected to a different sound outlet opening.
It is further advantageous that at least two microphones can be provided for suppressing secondary noises when making voice recordings.
A special embodiment of the communications device according to the invention provides, as a camera, a camera module, which comprises a digital camera with a flash device, and which is optionally removable from the bottom shell of the lower part.
It is also advantageous that the keypad lie on the frame section of the lower part and can be replaced from the outside, the keypad being designed as a mechanical keypad with a touchscreen function, wherein the keys of the keypad are arranged in a matrix of 5×11 fields, the cursor key takes up four fields and the space key takes up two fields so that a total of 51 keys are available, and the ESC, Tab, small type/capitals switch and CTRL keys are arranged vertically in the first column of the matrix, wherein these keys are available directly and with full value.
In another embodiment variant of the communications device according to the invention, the upper part comprises a switch button for multimedia applications (cell phone, smart phone) above the lower end thereof, and a switch button for the electronic module. At a longitudinal side of the frame opposite the joint element, two multimedia buttons are provided on the display, the functions of which can be shown on the display depending on the need and on the application. On both longitudinal sides, the frame section and the bottom shell have recesses for holding buttons, such as gaming buttons, push-to-talk buttons or the like.
Other advantages and details are found in the following description, with reference to the attached drawings.